


Stay With Me

by linksugiecookerneal



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 07:44:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19389616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/linksugiecookerneal/pseuds/linksugiecookerneal
Summary: High School seniors, Rhett and Link, go to a party.





	Stay With Me

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoy this story! It was inspired by one of my bestest friends. And I owe it all to wiltedviolets that this story doesn’t suck totally.

The party was in full swing when they pulled into the driveway. Despite the dark, crowds of people could be seen spilling into the yard through the open door. Rhett pulled the sun visor down and brushed his hand over his buzzed hair and adjusted his collar, then looked to Link, who was in the other mirror doing the same. 

“Let’s get in there, man. You know that party hasn’t started yet because we just got here,” Rhett gushed, drawing a smile from Link.

Places like this were Link’s personal hell. He really wasn’t a fan of parties, especially not parties like this. He knew it was going to be dark and loud and he wasn’t looking forward to any of it. On the other hand, he loved seeing his best friend excited over things like this. If nothing else came from tonight, at least he got one good moment from him. He knew, too, that as long as he had Rhett with him, he would be alright. 

They recognized classmates as they made their way through the open door. Loud music flooded the entire area, greeting them as they stepped into the main room. The place was packed full of people, few that were recognizable. He stuck close to Rhett as they made their way through the smoke-filled living room to the kitchen. Rhett stopped at the door, patting his buddy Thad on the back. Thad was the other point guard for Harnett Central and probably one of the people Rhett was closest to other than Link. Link stood shadowed behind Rhett, shoulder nearly pressed to his back as he watched the crowd. He leaned against the door frame as the two taller men talked and glanced around.

He didn’t know many people here. Sure, he recognized a handful of people. There were some girls standing in the corner across from him that he knew were in his class. Other than that, these had to be college students. Not a surprise. Thad had older friends that went to the nearby college and probably spent more time with them outside of school than anybody else. There was one other thing he knew this party had, and he wanted it. Rhett seemed pretty rooted in his current spot, so he took the opportunity.

“I’m going to get a beer; you want one?” He nudged Rhett, speaking up in his ear.

He nodded, “Sure, man. Thanks.”

Link gave a short nod to some of the basketball players as he passed, heading further into the house.

Rhett watched him as he walked away, his attention slipping from Thad to the lithe movements of his best friend.

“Hey, man, are you listening to me?” Thad questioned frustration evident in his voice.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I am.” He tore his eyes from Link, meeting Thad’s unhappy gaze.

“Well? What do you think?” 

Rhett just stared dumbly.

“About meeting the team…” Thad supplied.

“Oh! Yeah, Campbell. I’m not sure, man. I’m pretty sure I’ve decided where I want to go to college.” He was going where Link went. That was the plan.

“Come on! This could be a big thing for you. Campbell’s nearby and you’d be one of the stars of the team if you went.”

He considered it. Not really about school, but maybe he could meet some of the team and get some idea of what college basketball was like. He was still looking for scholarships, too, and maybe they’d give him some pointers on how to stick something for sports.

“Sure, man, I’ll meet them.”

Thad beamed, patting his arm roughly, “My man. Come on, let’s go meet them now. Most of them are in the backyard.”

“Wait, I need to wait on Link.”

He rolled his eyes at Rhett, pulling him by the arm. “He’ll be fine. Come on, you’ll want to meet them before they’re wasted.”

He hesitated for a moment before finally letting Thad drag him away, his eyes still glued to the place Link had been standing.

On the other side of the house, Link stood in a line in an attempt to get to the keg. As he stood, he considered his relationship with his best friend. They’d already been best friends for so long and they were just getting started. Lately, though, it was changing. Something about the soft touches and the gentle looks he gave him kept him on edge. Link chewed his lip as he thought about what that could mean. 

To Rhett, it could mean nothing, but Link couldn’t help but warm at the attention. This boy, now man, that he loved with his whole heart, giving him looks like that. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment that happened, that his best friend became so much more, but he did and now Link just had to live with it. He could, the more he thought about it. He’d rather keep Rhett as his best friend, than risk losing him over something as dumb as a crush.

He grabbed the cups and filled them, then headed back to the other side of the house. When he made it across the hallway, he realized he must have passed them by without realizing. He turned from the door, his eyes scanning the area. The spot where they’d been standing was now filled with a drunk couple making out against the wall. Panic shot through him as he looked around. He couldn’t see Rhett anywhere.

Without thought he moved back toward the area, checking every room. The more he looked, the faster his heart raced. Rhett was gone. Did he leave the party? Link’s stomach churned at the thought that he and Thad had gone out on their own and abandoned him here. He hardly knew anybody here! 

He felt like the collar of his shirt was constricting. It actually might kill him if he didn’t figure out how to stop it. He gasped for air as he tried to make it back toward the kitchen. The sound of the music faded to a dull roar in his ears and his vision was blurring around the edges. He was going to die. His shirt really was killing him. It was literally choking him to death. He dropped both glasses, one hand coming up to pull at the collar. 

_ I’m dying _ , he thought,  _ I need to get out of here _ .

Just as he began to push through but somebody grabbed him by the collar, “Buddy, you just dumped beer all over me!” The voice sounded vaguely familiar and angry but Link was too far gone to notice. 

His chest was hurting. Maybe it was a heart attack and he just didn’t realize until now. Beads of sweat ran down his face as the assailant pulled him close. “You think this is funny?” 

He shook his head, not really hearing what was being said. It sounded like he had cotton balls in his ears. He gripped the man’s arm, fingers winding around his wrist. Suddenly, the man careened backward as if somebody else had pushed him. He didn’t question it as he barreled through the crowd, bursting through the first door he came across. He slammed the door behind him. He gagged into his hand, dragging himself to the toilet in front of him. He was going to puke, then he was going to die. Weak sobs were forced from him as he leaned over the toilet, clutching the side with one hand and his chest with the other. 

Rhett stood with the group of loud men, rolling his eyes at their drunken banter. He didn’t want to be here with them. He wanted to be inside with Link. Link, who somehow, in the last few months, had wormed his way deep into Rhett’s heart and soul. He loved him. They were best friends. But something had changed. He noticed himself getting distracted more and more by his thin waist, getting lost in those beautiful blue eyes. He’d find himself letting his eyes linger on Link’s soft lips, wanting to brush his own against-- 

_ Crash!  _

Rhett turned to the house, his eyes wide. 

“Dude, it sounds like somebody’s fighting inside. Let’s go check it out!” Thad slapped him on the back as he rushed to the door. 

He followed Thad silently, his eyes scanning the dark room as he made his way in. Nothing much seemed out of place other than one of the college students picking himself up off of the ground. He glanced around, searching for Link in the crowd. Nothing. Maybe he was outside getting air, or just making himself scarce. He just came because they were friends and he wanted to be involved in whatever Rhett did. 

“What happened?” He turned to the guy who was currently still picking himself up off of the ground. 

“Some drunk jackass dumped his beer all over me and when I tried to ask him about it, he tried to knock me down.” 

“I think he succeeded, buddy.” Thad walked over, grabbing the guy’s hand and helping him up. 

“Barely. You should have seen the fucker. Looked like a freak.” The guy mumbled something about his “stupid shaggy hair and goatee” and Rhett lit up. The guy was talking about Link. That did not sound like Link at all. 

What did sound like was that Link was panicking. He stepped toe to toe with the man, glaring down at him, “Where’d he go?” 

“What?” The guy growled, getting in his face.

“Where did he go?” Rhett puffed up a little, attempting to make himself look bigger. This guy was either looking for a fight or really didn’t like him for some reason. 

The guy squinted at him, pondering for a moment before speaking. He pointed his thumb in the direction of the bathroom behind himself. “He went that way.” 

Rhett pushed past him, nearly knocking him down again and earning a string of curses. He didn’t care, he just needed to find Link. The sound of vomiting alerted him to the first bathroom in the hall. He opened the door slowly, knocking gently as he did. Link sat with his back against the tub, his face red and wet with previously shed tears.

“Link?” 

Link jumped and clutched his chest again, turning to the noise, “R-Rhett? Rhett, I’m dying. I can’t breathe and my chest hurts and everything just…” He sobbed brokenly.

“You’re not dying. I know it’s scary, but it can’t hurt you.” He lowered his voice, speaking slowly. 

He closed the door behind him and locked it, moving to Link’s side as carefully as he could. He knew what was happening. He’d seen his own brother go through this as a teenager. Link was having a panic attack. He could help him through this. 

“Link, I need to concentrate on breathing. You can get through this.” 

Link shook his head, “I can’t! Something’s wrong.” 

“I know it feels like something is wrong, but you’ll make it through this, baby. You got this. Do you need anything? What can I do?” 

He didn’t respond to Rhett. Instead, he reached out and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. It went without saying.  _ Stay with me. Please. _ He squeezed his hand, bringing it to his mouth gently, and kissing his knuckles. He could do this. He could be here for him. He watched his best friends face as he closed his eyes, still hiccupping sobs, his breathing shallow and fast. 

“Hey, Link,” He murmured, “Take some deep breaths. It’ll make you feel better, darlin’.” He squeezed his hand again. 

Link nodded, his eyes still shut. Rhett noticed, though, that Link was taking deep breaths. They stayed that way for some time before Link crawled into his lap, wrapping his arms around Rhett’s shoulders tightly, and pressing his face into his neck. Rhett wrapped his arms around Link loosely and rubbed his back. He tilted his head and pressed a kiss to the side of Link’s head. 

“You’re doing great, baby.” 

Eventually, the sobs subsided and Link’s breathing returned to normal. Rhett pulled his face away slowly, assessing his best friend. He was still crying and his eyes were screwed tight, but he looked less scared. 

“Link?” He murmured. 

“Hmm?”

“Are you alright?” 

Link paused, then nodded. “I think so. I can’t believe that happened.” 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” 

Link thought for a moment and shrugged. “I just… When I came back to find you, you were gone. I looked around, but the party was too much and I couldn’t…” 

His breathing hitched again and he pressed his face into Rhett’s neck. Rhett felt like crying. He knew Link hated place with this many people. He should have insisted on staying where he could find him. Instead, he’d let the idea that he could make some connections for school drag him away. 

“I’m really sorry, Link. I went outside with Thad. He wanted me to meet some basketball players. I shouldn’t have left,” He leaned down, kissing Link’s forehead again, then resting their foreheads together. “I promise to always be there if you need me.” 

After a moment, Link spoke up, “Rhett?”

“Yeah, darlin’?”

“Can we go?” 

He nodded. “Absolutely. Where do you want to go?” 

Link shrugged, sitting up slowly. “Anywhere that doesn’t have that many people just outside the door.” 

“How about the river? I’ve got a blanket, it’s a warm night. We can lay out and watch the stars.” 

“That sounds nice.” 

Rhett smiled, scooting Link off of his lap gently and standing, helping him up. They stood together silently, their hands linked together. After a moment, Link stepped in, leaning his head on Rhett’s chest. “I love the sound of your heartbeat. It’s calming.” 

_ It’s beating for you. _

He leaned his head down, resting his cheek against Link’s soft hair, and squeezed his eyes closed. For now, they would stay like this. Teetering on the edge of something greater. They would hold hands and cuddle and pretend, for now, that it was just them being best friends. 

He leaned further, brushing his lips along Link’s cheek. “Come on, baby. Let’s get you out of here.” He straightened, releasing one of Link’s hands and opening the bathroom door. 

Thad was standing just outside of it, smirking. “Dude, what have you been doing in there? Did you fall in or something and have to climb back out?” 

With a straight face, he opened the door wider, revealing his best friend standing behind him, eyes downcast. “Don’t worry about it. We’re gonna head on out.” 

Thad’s eyes widened, but he said nothing. “Alright, buddy. Y’all be careful.” 

He nodded and patted Thad on the shoulder as he walked by, pulling Link out the front door to his car. Once he got him in and made sure he was settled, he made his way to his own side, getting out of the driveway as carefully and as quickly as he could. As he drove, he found his finger’s locked with Link’s again. 

“Hey, man. Thanks.” Link gave him a small smile. 

Rhett squeezed his hand again, smiling as he glanced over at his best friend. “You don’t have to thank me. That’s just one of the many reasons I’m here.” 

Link smiled wider and sat back, relaxing against the seat. “I love you, man.” 

Rhett just smiled. 

_ I love you, too, baby. _


End file.
